


The Story of Demons

by boredom



Category: Dororo (Anime 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dororo is a good bro, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hyakkimaru (Dororo) is a Good Sibling, Mama Jukai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2020-12-20 17:44:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21060662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boredom/pseuds/boredom
Summary: The statue of the Goddess of Mercy may have been broken, but that doesn’t mean she is no longer protecting those under her care.An AU of episode 23 and 24 where everyone lives and Dororo is more than ready to slap some sense into the people who stole his brother’s body.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I may have binge-watched all 24 episodes of Dororo in one day. But that’s okay, it’s not like I had anything else to do (ignore the looming deadlines behind me). And then I decided to write this, because it’s not like I have any other projects I’m working on at the moment (ignore the unfinished Good Omens stuff on my profile). Anyways, I do like the ending of Dororo, I think it works with the philosophy the show was trying to portray. But what is fanfiction if not a chance for us to fiddle with canon and explore alternate realities.

Hyakkimaru’s sword slid easily through the arms of the archer and the samurai. His arms. They were his arms and he deserved to have them back. Damn the village. Damn Daigo. Damn the entire world! No one had a right to take them away. 

The two bodyguards screamed in agony as they fell to the ground. He had to act quickly. He had to get his eyes back. They were his. They belonged to him. 

He turned to face Tahomaru, the two red circles glowing bright against the background. 

“Give me back my eyes. They belong to me.” 

“They belong to Daigo! To our people!” Tahomaru charged towards him. 

He would gouge them out of his head if that’s what it took. He could feel the burning sensation in his shoulders. No, not now! He didn’t have any other swords, other than his prosthetics. He had to dispatch Tahomaru quickly. Once he got his eyes and arms back, he and Dororo could live. He could do anything he wanted because he had his body. He would never again have to rely on outside forces to save him. 

He cried out and threw himself at Tahomaru, swords clashing together, ringing in his ears. The smell of burnt earth and blood clogged his nose and made him want to vomit. He could hear the two bodyguards still gasping and writhing with pain, the demon horse charging towards them, hooves beating on the ground. 

He went to attack Tahomaru again, except the burning in his arms became too intense. He had enough sense to jump away, put some distance between him and his enemy. Hopefully this would be quick. Hopefully it wouldn’t be like the ears and give him a disadvantage. 

The prosthetics were forced from his body and he screamed as they grew back. Nerves, bones, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, muscles, fat, and finally skin.

“It’s Daigo’s body!” Tahomaru shouted, lunging towards him. 

He grabbed the swords perviously found in his prosthetics. The blades cut into the palms of his hands, blood slipping down his arm. More pain, more burning. Still, he only had to cut out his eyes and then he would be whole again. Two swords and two eyes. 

The demon horse whinnied louder and Hyakkimaru heard a familiar voice from up the hill. Even Tahomaru stopped and turned. There was a smaller soul, a small horse, running up to the demon. The fiery red soul dimmed, bits and pieces of white seeping back in, weaving through the blood red flames. 

Hyakkimaru looked down at his own hands, gripping the swords so tightly he felt like he would cut off his own hands. The hands he had worked so hard to get back. He couldn’t see the blood, but he could see the red. 

Gasping, he stumbled back, tripping and falling. His legs were also red. His torso was red. He was red, covered completely like he had bathed in blood. It probably wasn’t far off. He had ridden the demon horse through a battlefield, through villages, slaughtering anything and everything that got in his way. 

Biwamaru had warned him not to lose his humanity in his quest to gain back his body. He had thought-- he had believed he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t stoop to Daigo’s level. To the level of anyone who had made deals with demons and sacrificed innocent lives to further their own agendas.

Mio hadn’t wanted him to look at her soul because she feared it was tarnished. It wasn’t. It was never tarnished. It was like Dororo’s, completely pure and innocent. She had been so kind to him. She had sung for him. Would she have still sang if she saw his soul now? Would Dororo still come to him if he could see him now? 

There was so much red. He was a demon. Would he ever be able to get it out? 

He squeezed the swords tighter, the pain shooting up his arms. What should he do now? What could he do now? He was angry. He was scared. He wanted…he wanted… he didn’t know what he wanted or why he wanted it. What should he do now? 

“Aniki?” 

He looked up to see Dororo and Nui standing in front of him. He hid the swords behind his back, like a child who had gotten caught eating sweets before dinner. They had already seen him holding them. They had likely figured out that he was the cause for this destruction. 

Was Dororo scared of him? He wouldn’t blame him. Hyakkimaru was no better than the demons. By this point, he was a demon. 

_ “I see now. You’re not human.” _

_ “What--” (Not who) “are you?” _

“Aniki?” Dororo was right in front of him, his light dim, hands reaching out uncertainly. 

Hyakkimaru flinched back. What if he hurt Dororo? He had fought so hard to protect him, he couldn’t--

Dororo wrapped his arms around his neck. “Aniki, it’s okay.” 

The swords fell from his hands and he was hugging Dororo so tightly, he was afraid he would break him. Because Dororo was fragile. He was little, and innocent, and optimistic, and reckless. 

“Dororo.” His hands still ached from the cuts made by the swords. “Dororo, I can move rocks now.” 

Dororo laughed. “Silly aniki.” 

He heard Tahomaru behind him, the sound of metal scraping the earth. He still didn’t have a proper sword; he wasn’t sure what happened to the one on his hip. Still, Tahomaru was dangerous. He was willing to kill Dororo before, and he was certainly still willing now. Hyakkimaru shifted, trying to put Dororo behind him. Maybe he wouldn’t get his eyes back, but he’d be damned if he didn’t give it his all to protect the one person who had stuck by him, who he loved more than anything in the world. 

“Why don’t you understand?” Tahomaru yelled. 

“Young master, please…” The archer was struggling to her feet. “This isn’t right. Our minds were clouded by the demon.”

“No!” Tahomaru snarled, sword gripped tight in his hands. “It’s not his body. It’s Daigo’s! He’s the reason all of this is happening.” 

“Dororo, run,” Hyakkimaru pushed him away and wrapped cloth around his hands. It wouldn’t protect him fully, but it would make it easier to hold onto the blades. 

“If he hadn’t broken the contract with the demons, then we’d still be prospering!” 

“Tahomaru,” Lady Nui gasped. “No, you’ve got it wrong.” 

“We need his sacrifice!” 

“If the demons need a sacrifice so bad, then why don’t you sacrifice yourself!” Dororo shouted, launching himself at Tahomaru. Hyakkimaru barely managed to catch him and hold him back. 

“What?” 

Dororo picked up a rock and threw it at him. Hyakkimaru couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped when it hit Tahomaru in the forehead, causing him to stumble back. 

“You heard me! If it’s so necessary that you sacrifice someone,” another rock hit him, “then go sacrifice yourself!” Another rock. 

Thankfully, Tahomaru wasn’t trying to attack them and didn’t seem very threatened by the rocks. Still, Dororo really needed to stop provoking him. He wasn’t finished yet, however.

“You go around saying how aniki needs to sacrifice this and the village needs that, but you never once considered something else.” More rocks with startling good accuracy were pelting Tahomaru. 

“There was a village that burned down an orphanage full of children as their sacrifice to the demons, why don’t you do that?” 

“I wouldn’t--”

“Or how about the village that killed travelers for their demon?”

“That’s different--”

Now Dororo was just flinging fistfuls of rocks at Tahomaru. It was kind of funny, despite the situation. 

“You keep saying that this is for the good of the village and of the domain, but if you have to kill innocent people to be prosperous--” Dororo picked up an extraordinarily large boulder, it was likely bigger than his head. Before Hyakkimaru could stop him, he threw it at Tahomaru, knocking him to the ground. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be in charge of anything!” 

Dororo was breathing heavily and shaking. Hyakkimaru still had an arm around his shoulder, grateful he was here. Who knows what would have happened had he not arrived. Who knows what Hyakkimaru would have become. 

Tahomaru rolled to his hands and knees and pushed himself up. The cloud of red that had surrounded him also started to dissipate. “But-- but dad said--”

“Your father was wrong,” Lady Nui said, stepping in front of Hyakkimaru and Dororo. “Look around you, Tahomaru, he isn’t even here. He’s off fighting in another battle while he makes you clean up his mess. He’s never cared about the people. He’s only cared about power and securing it for now.” 

“Dororo is right, we should have never put the entire fate of the village on Hyakkimaru’s shoulders. It was unsustainable from the beginning. This--” she gestured to the desolate countryside, “this is not his doing. This is the doing of leaders who put their own needs above the needs of their people. I’m guilty of this same sin.” 

“Mom?” 

Lady Nui knelt in front of Tahomaru and took his head in her hands. “I’m sorry for what I put you through. I was so caught up in the son I lost, I forgot to love the son I still had. Maybe if I had been kinder to you, maybe if I had loved you better, maybe then things would be different.” 

“Young master,” the samurai had managed to get to his knees, “Mutsu and I should have also been more honest with you. This, what you’re doing, it’s wrong. Hyakkimaru is not our enemy, he never was. You should be looking to a more sustainable way to look after your people. What you’re doing now--”

“It’s the same as what happened to us,” the archer bowed her head. “How many children did we orphan because demons were allowed to feast on innocent people? How many people died because of the deal Lord Daigo made?” 

The fight left Tahomaru completely and he slumped back. “I--what do I do now?” 

Enough blood had been spilled. He wanted his eyes back. He wanted the demons to stop feasting on him, but he was not going to kill Tahomaru for them. They had both been used by Daigo for his own gain. They’d figure out another way. 

He stood. 

“Aniki?” Dororo looked up at him. 

He really wanted to see his face, wanted to see all the expression that he had. That would have to wait for now. He ruffled Dororo’s hair and walked towards Tahomaru. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to give you your eyes without gouging them out,” Tahomaru said. 

Hyakkimaru forced himself to ignore the two red eyes calling to him, begging for him to take them back. 

“We’ll find another way.” 

He wanted to reach out and touch Tahomaru, rub their foreheads together like he did with Dororo, let him know that he was not his enemy. 

Tahomaru screamed and doubled forward, hand clutching at his eyes. No, not his eyes, Hyakkimaru’s eyes. 

“Young master!” 

“Tahomaru!” 

“Ah! What’s happening?” Tahomaru cried out. 

“Aniki?” Dororo was behind him now, he could feel his body pressed against him. 

Was the demon here? Was it trying to take over Tahomaru again, force them to fight? He looked around but could see no red.

Tahomaru let out another anguished scream and threw his head back. The eyes were being pulled from his skull. He heard Lady Nui and the two bodyguards crying out in disgust and panic. Dororo was clutching the back of his kimono, pressing as close to him as possible. 

Finally the eyes were pulled fully from Tahomaru’s skull. Before Hyakkimaru could comprehend what had happened, the eyes disappeared. 

“No!” He shouted. He was so close! Why hadn’t he grabbed them before they disappeared. “No!” 

Dororo’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him in place. “Aniki, please. We’ll find them. Please don’t get angry.” 

There was something in his voice that made Hyakkimaru pause. 

“Please. We’ll find them. Just like the rest of your body. We’ll get them back.” 

Hyakkimaru relaxed, his shoulders dropping. Of course it wouldn’t have been that easy to get his eyes back. The contract may have been broken, but the demons were still eating. They wouldn’t just give him back his body. 

Tahomaru lifted his head. There were no red eyes on his body. He was completely human again. 

“Well, I suppose it’s not as bad as I feared.” 

He turned to see the familiar shape of Biwamaru coming out of the trees. 

“It’s not as good as I had hopped either.” He whacked Hyakkimaru in the stomach with his cane. Hyakkimaru doubled over and tried to catch his breath. For an old man, he was incredibly strong. “Don’t worry, the Buddha is forgiving. You’re still human.” 

“Who are you?” Lady Nui asked. 

“I’m just an old priest trying to make the world a bit better. Glad to see everyone’s still alive.”

“What do we do now?” Tahomaru asked. He didn’t seem as traumatized as Hyakkimaru would have thought. Then again, Hyakkimaru once regrew his spine and was able to walk away from it like it was nothing. Must run in the family. 

“You need to get those eyes back.” Biwamaru said. “I’m afraid as long as that demon has them, things will continue to get worse.” 

“Hey, I thought you told us not to get aniki’s body completely back from the demons.” 

Biwamaru shrugged. “There was still a possibility of Hyakkimaru becoming a demon. Imagine everything he can to but with the added terror of a lust for blood.” 

Dororo shivered. Hyakkimaru put a hand on his head. He did like having his arms back. He could feel a lot more. He couldn’t feel anything with the prosthetics. Now he could feel Dororo entirely. It was nice, knowing he was right there. 

“How do we find this demon?”

“We should first get out of here,” Lady Nui said. “There’s no telling what Lord Daigo will do to us now that we’ve failed to kill Hyakkimaru. And we don’t know how the war is going either.”

“We could go to the village we were at earlier. They not loyal to Daigo per say. We would probably be safer there.” 

“That’s a good idea. We should get going. Hopefully we can find a doctor for Mutsu and Hyogo.” 

“Ah, aniki,” Dororo said, “you’ve only had your arms for a few minutes and you’ve already hurt them.” 

He pulled an injured hand to him and started winding a cloth around it. “You don’t have prosthetics anymore. We can’t make you new body parts so you have to be more careful.” 

“Dororo.” 

Dororo moved onto the next one. “I’ll disinfect them when we get to the village. We should probably find you another sword since you can’t use those anymore. Ah, and to think we paid the sword maker so much money for them. And you almost got married."

"Wait, what?"

"Where’d you other one go?”

“Don’t know.” 

Dororo didn’t let go of his hand, instead tugging on it and pulling him away from the battlefield. 

“Aniki, you can’t go around losing swords. They don’t grow on trees, you know.” 

They walked by the bodyguards, Biwamaru, Lady Nui, and Tahomaru. 

“Didn’t we just try to kill him?” Mutsu said. 

“Yeah, several times.” Hyogo replied. 

“How can they be so calm around us?” Tahomaru asked. 

Biwamaru laughed and slapped him on the back. “You could learn a thing or two about forgiveness. Come on, let’s get to the village.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, so this was supposed to be the last chapter, but then it got very long so I'm splitting it. I might actually have to split the last chapter again since it's also pretty long and I still have some scenes to write. Still, protective Hyakkimaru and Mama Jukai are always nice to see.

The battle was a lost cause. Daigo knew this the moment they started fighting. His contract with the demons had been so destroyed that not even the remaining ones wanted to help him out. He and his advisors retreated, letting the lower ranks fight each other. There was no reason for him to sacrifice himself. If he wasn’t alive, who would lead?

“Sir, if we lose this battle, we might lose our land,” one of his advisors said. 

Daigo thought over his words. He knew what the outcome would be. He knew his prosperous reign was coming to an end. But must it end so violently, so…. dishonorably? There had to be a way. 

Perhaps….

Could he do it again? He supposed there were hundreds of demons all over Japan who would kill for a willing sacrifice. Perhaps….

But who could he sacrifice? What could he sacrifice? The demons likely wouldn’t take Tahomaru, he was too old, too tainted. They’d need someone more innocent. He learned that the last time, demons really enjoyed the taste of innocence, for some reason. 

He was formulating a plan in his head. Perhaps he could round up all the remaining children and offer them up. No, that was too much, even for a demon. If he stole away every single child then their parents would likely rise up against him. 

His mind drifted back towards that thing, that original sacrifice. _Hyakkimaru, _ that was its name. He couldn’t very well offer up the same person again.

Wait, wasn’t it traveling with someone? A small child. 

He bit his lip. It might just work. 

He waved his advisors away and called in his best spy. There was still a chance his reign would continue. 

oOoOoOo

If there was one absolutely amazing thing about Dororo, it was that he could talk about anything for what seemed like an unlimited amount of time. 

“Then there’s the color red,” he said. He had spent the past half hour describing all the colors Hyakkimaru would see once he got his eyes back. “I’m not a big fan of red. I like green instead. Oh, but I do like the color of red leaves. And red sunsets are pretty.” 

Hyakkimaru was following behind him silently, letting Dororo hold his hand and lead the way. It was amazing… to actually be able to feel his tiny hand. There was so much he had missed out on, so much the demons had taken from him. When he was a child, Hyakkimaru did not understand all that had been kept from him. He was living in a box, with only limited access to the outside world. As he gained his senses back one by one, there was pain and suffering, yes, but there were also so many experiences he would had never had. He wanted his eyes back. He wanted to experience the world the same way everyone else did, the same way Dororo did. Maybe he was selfish, but it was his body and his life. 

“I have never seen anyone talk so much,” Mutsu said, leaning heavily on Tahomaru. 

“Do all kids talk as much as this one does?” Hyogo asked, Biwamaru helping him stand up straight. 

“I didn’t talk this much what I was his age,” Tahomaru mumbled. 

“Blue is a nice color too. The sky is blue, except when it’s red. The ocean is blue. Let’s see, what else is blue.” 

Biwamaru laughed. “That’s why Hyakkimaru learned to talk so quickly. Dororo never stops. You can learn a lot of words when your companion won’t stop talking.” 

They were almost to the village, which was probably a good thing as Hyogo and Mutsu were fading fast. The wounds inflicted on them weren’t deadly, but with blood loss and shock, they were likely to go at any time. Not only that, but they needed to figure out what to do next. 

Nui was right, Daigo would be furious when he realized that his son had failed to kill Hyakkimaru, even though at this point killing him would solve nothing. The contract had been broken for a very long time. Even if it hadn’t been broken, there would never be true peace in these lands. It was too fragile, one wrong move had sent the entire thing crashing down in a grim reminder that power doesn’t always equal sustainable prosperity. 

Hyakkimaru let out a soft gasp. He could hear something coming towards them. 

“What is it?” Dororo asked, slowing and turning to look at him. 

Hyakkimaru realized what the sound was too late. A horse lept from the bushes and he stumbled back, barely able to avoid the sword that swung at his head. It still sliced into his chest, a trail of hot blood seeping from the wound. 

The horse spun around and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back into Tahomaru and the others. 

“Aniki!” Dororo cried out. They had gotten separated when the horse burst from the bushes. 

He tried to roll onto his hands and knees to go to Dororo. He didn’t have a sword or anything, but he would make due. He had killed so many demons with sticks. The sword made things easier but it was not necessary. 

“Aniki! Let me go!” 

Hyakkimaru lunged towards the rider how had picked Dororo up and was now galloping away. He didn’t get very far though. 

“Look out!” Bimawaru crashed into him and they went tumbling down the hill just as a rain of arrows embedded in the dirt where Hyakkimaru had previously been. 

He pushed Bimawaru off and tried to scramble back up the hill. A hand caught his foot and dragged him back down. “You’ll be killed if you go up there now,” Bimawaru’s gruff voice said as he pinned him to the ground. 

“Dororo!” Hyakkimaru said. Why didn’t he understand? If he didn’t get up there, they might lose Dororo forever. He couldn’t let that happen, not after everything they had been through. Not after everything he had fought. 

“Why did they take the kid?” Hyogo asked.

Hyakkimaru wanted to attack him. Him and his sister, and Tahomaru and everyone else. It was all their fault. If they had just let him fight the demon instead of trying to stop him, Dororo wouldn’t be gone. 

“We can’t let them get him,” the archer said. “We have to get him back.” 

Tahomaru peaked out from behind a tree only to dart back behind it when another rain of arrows fell from the sky. “They’re keeping us here,” he said. 

Biwamaru’s grip slackened and Hyakkimaru used this brief bought of weakness to throw him off and run back up the hill. He didn’t get very far as more arrows fell from the sky and he was forced to take cover behind a tree. 

“I told you,” Biwamaru said, “it’s too dangerous. We’ll need to figure out another way.” 

They didn’t have time for that. Every second they spend here was another second that Dororo might be fed to the demons. That is what Daigo wanted with him. That’s why he was taken and they weren’t. That’s why the archers weren’t really concerned with killing them, just keeping them here long enough so another contract could be made. What could he do? What should he do? 

It seemed like more and more Hyakkimaru was unable to rely on what had kept him alive for so long. First he couldn’t move the boulder and now he couldn’t even get past a few archers. 

Is this what it felt like to be truly helpless? 

oOoOoOo

Ever since his fateful encounter with his son, Jukai had been thinking about how to best help Hyakkimaru. He hadn’t been a great guardian, all things considered. He had done his best but now was the time when Hyakkimaru needed him the most. And Jukai would not let his son, the most important person in his small world, fall into darkness. That was the duty of the parent, after all, to show your child a better way. 

So he began whittling away at a statue. The goddess of Mercy. The one who might still be able to see the good in Hyakkimaru and keep him from the dark. All that was left was to head for Daigo’s lands. He didn’t know where he should head, but figured the Buddha had led him to Hyakkimaru once before, he could lead him to him again. He trusted his path, his purpose. There was nothing else he could do but trust. 

When he stumbled upon dozens of archers camped out behind trees, he didn’t think much of it. This was a war zone, after all, and they could be trying to pick off any spies of the enemy that managed to sneak through. He would go up and around, and continue heading towards the heart of these lands. 

He almost didn’t notice the archers draw their bows and fire through the trees. He almost didn’t notice Hyakkimaru, now with two arms and two legs, try and dash up the hill, only to be driven back by the arrows. 

“Hyakkimaru?” Jukai whispered. It was hard to see him through the trees. It looked like there were others with him. Was one of these people who Hyakkimaru had mentioned in the cave? And these archers, they were to stop him. 

Tears sprang to Jukai’s eyes. “You don’t look demonic.” He wiped the tears away. “You look like my son. My wonderful, human son.” 

He had made so many mistakes in his life. He was unforgivable. All he had done to make amends was merely putting bandages on wounds that were incapable of healing. He still didn’t know if he had done the right thing with Hyakkimaru. He still didn’t know if Hyakkimaru’s soul would be saved or if he would fall into darkness. Then again, it wasn’t his job to know. It was his job to protect and guide. Perhaps he hadn’t done a good job in the past, but that needed to change. He was done being a coward, hiding from the world. Pathetic. He would never achieve anything acting like he did now. 

There was a sword by his feet. As a samurai, he knew how to wield it, even after all of these years. Training Hyakkimaru had helped him keep his skills sharp.He picked it up, hesitating.

The men below him were probably much like he used to be. They weren’t bad people, just forced to do things they didn’t want to do or else face death or exile.

Still, he saw no way to bring about peace. 

He gripped the sword. “I know I swore off ever killing another person, no matter what. But for my son, I will gladly go to Hell.” 

No more hesitation. No more pity. He had a duty, and that duty was to protect Hyakkimaru and to put him on the right path. He could only pray that he taught his son well enough to make the right decisions. 

The first man did not know what hit him and the sword sliced through his body easily. Jukai was one of the best swordsmen for his previous lord and the archers did not stand a chance. They fell, one right after another. 

He assumed he had cut them all down and went to call Hyakkimaru out. A cry from behind him grabbed his attention. He turned to see another man, one he had previously missed, charging towards him, sword drawn, ready to strike. There was not enough time to counter and defend himself. 

A blur flew past him and the man let out a cry, crashing to the ground to reveal Hyakkimaru, holding two sticks in his new hands. It reminded Jukai of when they first started practicing martial arts. He opened his mouth to say something, to tell Hyakkimaru all he had not said before. More war cries and arrows from the trees stopped him. 

They ducked behind a boulder. 

Jukai put a hand to Hyakkimaru’s face. There was not enough time. “Go,” he said. “I’ll take care of them.” 

Hyakkimaru put a hand on Jukai’s face and smiled before darting off through the trees. 

“Wait!” Another boy cried, running off after him. 

Jukai gave the Goddess of Mercy statue a squeeze. “Please, have mercy on him, for just a little longer. Protect him.” 

“I believe,” an old voice said beside him, “that she is not done watching over him just yet.” 

An old, blind priest turned to him and smile. He reached for an instrument on his back. It was not, in Jukai’s opinion, really a time to play music. 

But instead, the old priest pulled out a sword and grinned. “How about we atone for our sins by protecting these kids?” 

With sword in hand, Jukai emerged from behind the tree.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not forget about this story! I will finish it!

“Let me go!” Dororo was kicking furiously, trying his best to get the man on horseback to drop him. Seriously! He went eight years without ever getting kidnapped and now it was becoming a regular occurrence! Well, he wasn’t going to let any samurai get to him. He was going to fight these guys till his last breath!

The man dismounted from the horse in front of a temple, grabbing Dororo. He saw his opening and sunk his teeth into the man’s hand.

“Ow! You stupid brat.” 

Just because you had gotten punched before, doesn’t mean that you were used to getting punched. The force from the man’s fist made Dororo’s head spin and his ears ring. He was pretty sure his brain had gotten rattled around. 

“What do you want with me?” He had been demanding answers for the better part of the ride, hoping that this time the man would actually give them to him. 

Aniki was right there, right beside him, and yet the man didn’t even look at him. He had been focused entirely on Dororo. What gives? Why was he suddenly so important?” 

The doors opened and Lord Daigo, in all of his scowling glory stepped out. 

The man got to one knee as best as he could while still holding onto Dororo. “My lord, the child. As you requested.” 

“Bring him inside and then stand guard outside. I can have no interruptions.” Daigo turned back to the temple. “This time, there will be no intervention from the Goddess of Mercy.”   
Dororo felt his body go cold. Was Daigo really going to… No, he couldn’t be trying to make another deal with the demons. He was tied up in the temple, no matter how he struggled, he could not get out of the bonds. 

“Now, let us begin,” Daigo said, turning to the statues. 

They were all cracked and broken, all except for one. Actually, a lot of these statues looked really familiar. Were these all demons that aniki had defeated? The only one that had not been broken looked really scary. Dororo was not going to be fed to that thing if it was the last thing he did. 

“No!” he said, much more loudly and confidently than he felt. He had to buy some time. Aniki was coming for him, he knew it. But it would do no good if he was already demon food. 

Daigo looked back at him. “What?” 

“No, I do not want to be fed to demons. You hear me. I do not want to be sacrificed to demons!” 

Daigo’s eye twitched. “It doesn’t work like that. You don’t get a say. The demons will accept my sacrifice--”

“No! I don’t want to.” 

“Your opinion doesn’t matter!” 

“How do you know?” Dororo asked, glad Daigo was taking the bait. 

“Because I’ve done this before.” Daigo knelt in front of him, grabbing his hair and yanking his head up. “It doesn’t matter.” 

Dororo was shaking so hard, he worried Daigo would notice and call his bluff, but he had to stay strong. He couldn’t do much, but he was always good with his words, getting people to trust him. He had to put those skills to the test. 

“You only ever did this once and aniki was a baby when you did it, so he couldn’t say no. I’m not a baby so I can say no. So I’m saying no. I do not want to be a sacrifice for the demons. Why don’t you sacrifice yourself?” 

Daigo let go of his hair and growled. “I can’t sacrifice myself. Who would run this land if I were gone?” 

“What about…” aw crap, what was aniki’s brother’s name? “Tahomaru?” That sounded right. 

Daigo laughed. “Tahomaru is not fit to rule. Only I am fit enough to rule.”

“Then why have another son at all if you don’t even trust him enough to be a leader?” 

“I don’t know if any demon wants your tongue,” Daigo growled, “otherwise I’d cut it out myself just to get you to shut up.” He pulled out a sash and tied it around Dororo’s mouth. “For now, this will have to do.” 

Dororo tried to jerk away from Daigo. He tried to undo the ropes, but they were too tight. He prayed that aniki was close by. What was taking him so long? 

“Now then,” Daigo said, walking towards the center of the room. “I have a ceremony to perform. Demons!” 

Dororo didn’t bother listening to the rest of this speech. He was trying his best not to break down and cry. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. Sure, he was tied up and useless, but he would still kick and scramble until his last breath. He would not simply lay down and let this lord walk all over him, use him for his own selfish desires. 

The speech Daigo was giving was very long winded. Dororo wondered if the demons even cared about half the things this guy was saying. He certainly didn’t. If Daigo didn’t hurry up, Dororo would fall asleep before they even got to the part where demons ate his body.

Daigo turned back towards him. Dororo’s blood went cold.

He grabbed him and dragged him to the center of the room. Dororo did his best to kick and squirm, but his grip was too tight. His legs were just flailing uselessly in the room, hitting nothing but air. 

Think. He had to think of something. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing. What he was doing now wasn't working. What else could he do? 

"Now then. I will do things properly. Even if you live after the demon's have feasted, you won't survive for long." Daigo's face was terrifying, more so than any demon Dororo had seen. It was twisted with rage and hate. He was scared and he didn't want to be here any more. He didn't want to be doing this any more. He just wanted to leave and forget all about this. 

Daigo pulled the knife and looked up at the final demon. "Feast on him." he said. "Feast on him and return my land to the prosperous state it once was. 

The knife swung down, right towards his heart. Dororo flinched and closed his eyes. Was it going to hurt a lot? He hoped not. 

The doors burst open, there was a cry and no knife pierced his heart. Dororo forced his eyes open to look at what had happened. 

Standing over him, two sticks in either hand, was Hyakkimaru. 

Dororo's eyes filled with tears without his permission and he tried to call out, only to be painfully reminded of the gag. 

"Why won't you just die?" Daigo asked. "Why do you continue to live?" 

Hyakkimaru said nothing and lunged for Daigo. Behind him, the demon statue groaned and creaked. Dororo looked at it. It seemed like it was nothing more than stone, and yet he was certain something was happening to it. Wait, was the demon going to start feasting on him? Had Daigo completed the ceremony enough so that aniki's interruption meant nothing? 

There was a surge of energy from the statue. Hyakkimaru turned and lunged at it, just in time to knock it away from Dororo and into another wall. Daigo roared and went to attack him. There was no way aniki would be able to fend off both and he didn't have time to untie Dororo so he could help. The sword never landed though. Aniki's brother managed to block the blow. 

"I knew it. I knew I couldn't count on you," Daigo snarled. Jeez, to be able to talk to your own kid like that, it was horrifying. No wonder the guy had so many issues. 

"I can't let you do this anymore, father. Our people are suffering." 

Another clash of swords. Hyakkimaru managed to get in a hit.

"I am trying to fix it." 

"No, you are trying to take the easy way out, one that won't ensure prosperity for generations. Just yours." 

It was a really good thing this guy turned around so quickly. Dororo couldn't imagine what it would be like if they actually had to fight him. The statue groaned and another attempt to eat him was made. This time, aniki's brother lunged forward and killed the demons. They couldn't go on like this forever. They had to do something. Dororo had to do something. 

Daigo and the other guy grappled a bit more, though it was clear Daigo was stronger and a much better fighter. 

Dororo sat, huddled in a corner, trying to decide if it would be better to make a run for it or if it would be better to sit here and wait. The demons could likely attack him from anywhere and the farther he was from Hyakkimaru, the more likely he would be to get into trouble. 

"I can't believe it, my own son turned against me. Against our land!" Daigo shouted. Did this guy not get the irony that he had two sons? Probably not, he wasn't smart enough for that. 

"I won't let you continue to use sacrifice to secure your rule, father. It isn't right!" the guy said, bringing his sword down only to have it blocked by Daigo. Dororo searched the ground, looking for something he could throw at the man. It might be just enough of a distraction for aniki to get in a hit. Or the other guy, but he wasn't as cool as aniki. A suitable rock was found. Dororo took a deep breath, remembering everything his father had taught him. He may not have a sword, but he knew that you didn't need only in order to win. You just had to gain the upper hand with intelligence, and skill. There were three of them and only one Daigo. If he could just distract him, that would be enough. It had to be enough. 

He gathered up his armful of rocks and began throwing them. Each hit their mark, one knocked the stupid hat off of Daigo's stupid head. 

"What?" He did not, as Dororo had hoped, immediately turn around and leave his back open for attack. Instead, he ignored the rocks and managed to knock Tahomaru down before turning his attention too Dororo. 

"You should have sat there quietly. I will end you and then I will find another sacrifice. I will sacrifice as many people as I need to make sure my land does not fall into ruin!" He advanced on Dororo, sword brandished, ready to strike. 

Dororo tried to jump out of the way. He was quick on his feet, after all, but the temple had been so damaged there were bits of rock everywhere. He tripped, unable to move out of the way. He was going to die here. A pathetic end to a pathetic life. 

There was a cry. Dororo would recognize that cry anywhere. Daigo didn't strike him, instead, turning to the statue that was still in tact. "No!" he shouted. 

Above him, on the statue's shoulder, was Hyakkimaru. The two sticks he had picked up from the woods jammed into the statue's eyes, the stone cracking under his force. 

A sword pierced Daigo's chest, blood spurting out and coating the hall. The man fell, revealing Tahomaru behind him, looking much more worse for wear. Not at all the picture of a high-ranking lord's son. 

Hyakkimaru let out a cry, this time, one of pain, and fell to the ground. 

"Aniki!" Dororo ran to his side, heart pounding as fear and worry overtook him. Aniki couldn't die, not now! Not after all the work they did and all of the pain they suffered. 

The temple itself was shaking and a fire had started. Hyakkimaru didn't seem to register any of it, lying on the ground, hands pressed to his eyes, crying out in pain. 

"Aniki, come on. We have to go," Dororo said, trying and failing to pull him to his feet. Aniki was too heavy, there was no way he'd be able to drag him out of here. 

"Here, let me help," Tahomaru said, somehow managing to drag Hyakkimaru to his feet and stumble towards the door. 

Dororo felt helpless and weak. He couldn't dwell on it, no. He had to keep moving. If he couldn't help aniki get out of this stupid building, then he was going to make sure Tahomaru didn't need to worry about him. 

They all stumbled outside, Tahomaru's strength finally giving out as all three went crashing to the ground. The earth shaking so badly, Dororo was afraid it would rip itself apart. He could hear screams from the villagers. He tried to get to his feet, he tried to continue down the mountain, but everything hurt. His head hurt. His arms hurt. His legs hurt. He couldn't stand. He couldn't even keep his eyes open. All he could do was close them, listen to the screams and the roar of fire, and pray.


	4. Chapter 4

When Hyakkimaru woke up, he spent a few minutes gathering his bearings. There was something... different. His body was sore and hurt and there was a heaviness on his gut. Not only that, but his arms and his eyes, well, they were there for a start. It was strange, being able to feel everything. He could feel the hard wood beneath his back. He could feel a soft blanket on one of his bare arms. He could feel his eyes moving from behind his eyelids. 

He did not open them. He lay still. 

What if the first thing he saw was something awful? The first thing he heard was a woman crying. The first thing he felt was pain from his injuries. The first sound he made was one of pain. The first thing he did with his hands was cut them. He didn't want to experience any more awful things. 

He brought a hand up to his eyes and placed it over them. There was a cloth there, tied around his head. 

"I didn't know how sensitive your eyes were going to be." 

Hyakkimaru jumped, but relaxed when he realized who's voice it was. 

A heavy hand came to his shoulder. "How are you feeling? You've been unconscious for a few days."

Hyakkimaru thought about the question and then thought about the words that would best answer it. 

"Heavy." He said. "Sore." 

Mama chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "It could be worse. Although, from what I hear, you have your entire body back now." 

Hyakkimaru didn't respond. It was obvious that he did have his entire body back. It was overwhelming. The entire world was his now; his to experience, his to enjoy, his to explore. For so long, he stayed in the dark, in a cage that was occupied only by souls and his mind. Then he had a purpose, to get his body back from the demons. Now, the demons were gone. What was he supposed to do. 

There was a rustling beside him. The blindfold was getting tugged. 

"Might as well speed this along. You fought for your eyes, you should use them," Mama said, the blindfold slipping off. 

Hyakkimaru stubbornly kept his eyes closed. This in and of itself was a new sensation. He never had to close his eyes before. The pressure was weird. The action was weird.   
"Come on now, Hyakkimaru. You can't stay hidden forever." 

He was right. It couldn't be more jarring than the hearing, right? Or the pain? He turned his head to the side, even with the eyes closed he could tell there was more light on his right side and he wanted it to be as dark as possible. He blinked them open. 

Things were blurry at first. He could see the variety of colors that were around the room. Mostly shades of brown, but occasionally there were other colors. Maybe green, or red? He still wasn't sure what colors were what. He'd have to ask Dororo later. 

He blinked, instinctively, and with each blink things came into focus. It was then that he realized what the pressure on his side was. It was the first thing to come into focus. A human. He blinked some more. Not just any human, Dororo.

He could no longer see their soul, but he could tell. There was a feeling about him that was...familiar. He raised his free hand and touched Dororo's forehead, as if he were a mirage and would disappear. 

"She's been through a lot. But she's a fighter," mama said, resting a hand on his shoulder. 

"She?" Hyakkimaru had heard these words, 'he' and 'she' and 'girl' and 'boy'. But they didn't hold any value to him. Dororo was Dororo and that was it. 

"Did you not know?" Mama asked. 

"It didn't matter. Does it now?"

There was no answer for a long time. Hyakkimaru almost turned around to see if mama was still there. Finally, there was a sigh. 

"No, I suppose not. You should get some rest. I'll bring by some dinner later." Another hand ran through his hair and Hyakkimaru heard a door close. 

There were so many things in the room and his eyes were starting to hurt. Belatedly, he realized that he didn't turn to look at mama. He still didn't know what he looked like. A part of him, a selfish part that hated change, didn't want to know. While he did want his body back because it was his, he also didn't want to lose his life before. 

It was strange and felt a little selfish, to not want what he had worked so hard for. What so many people lost their lives for. But there was the fear, tiny but growing. How would things be now? Would he and Dororo still be together? What would he do? Who was he? Would he still hunt demons? Did he even want to hunt demons? 

These questions were at the forefront of his mind and he struggled to answer them. Some of them were things he had to decide, others were for someone else to decide. His fate always seemed to be tied to someone else. He always seemed to be tied to someone else. 

"Aniki?" Dororo mumbled, shifting and yawning. 

It was a strange sight, watching his mouth open wide as if to swallow something. Hyakkimaru watched each little shift and movement, unsure of what to do, unsure of what to say.   
"You're awake? How're you feeling?" Dororo asked, his voice slightly slurred with sleep. 

The question rang in his mind. How was he feeling? He was hurting, his body sore from the battle he had put it through. His head was hurting. His eyes were even kind of hurting. But he also felt freer than ever before. He felt like a large boulder had been lifted from his chest and for the first time he could breath. He felt nervous with an uncertain future ahead of him. But he felt happy that his suffering, at least at the hands of Daigo, was over. It wasn't an easy question to answer.

"Different," Hyakkimaru finally answered.

Dororo pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. "Makes sense. You have your eyes back. Do they work? That'd be terrible if you went through all this trouble but were blind."   
He could see the little flyaways around Dororo's head. He could see an ornate chest in the corner of the room. He could see colors and shades he never had before. "They work. I can see you." 

Dororo smiled. "Good. I'm glad. The mansion where Daigo stayed burned down. Come to think of it, most of the hillside burned down."

He felt a pang of guilt. He was the reason this all happened. He was the one who wanted his body back so badly, even though other people were depending on it. 

No. That was wrong. He was not responsible for this. All over Japan people were suffering. Daigo chose to secure his reign for a few years rather than actually work to make his home a better place. 

"Are you alright?" He was desperate to change the subject. Dororo had gone through a lot and Hyakkimaru couldn't bear the thought that something awful had happened. He was still alive, he was in front of him, but he could no longer see his soul. What if it was fading and he couldn't tell.

Dororo brightened up considerably. "Yep! I'm fine. Watching you and Tahomaru fight that jerk was fun! I even got in a few blows."

Hyakkimaru nodded and looked back up at the ceiling. There were little cracks in it and he could see the imperfections. He wondered what else was an imperfection in this room.   
"Aniki?" Dororo asked, his voice soft and filled with anxiety. 

Hyakkimaru didn't answer. He never needed to, Dororo would always just talk.

"What are you going to do now? Now that you've gotten everything back? Are you going to leave?" 

Hyakkimaru didn't want to make that decision yet. He wanted to use his eyes for a bit, maybe get to know his mother, spend some more time with Dororo, and plant rice like Mio wanted. 

"It's not that you have to stay here," Dororo continued. "You definitely don't have to stay with me or anything. I just thought...I just wanted to know what your plans are so that I could also plan some things. You know, things like that." 

Hyakkimaru reached into and grabbed the little satchel the rice seed was in. He handed it to Dororo. 

"We should plant this." He didn't need to be looking at Dororo to tell that he had brightened up considerably. 

"Really? Where? The village will probably let us stay here. Tahomaru hasn't done anything to piss them off yet and Lady Nui has actually been a great leader to them. They'll really like this rice. Of course, we could also go somewhere else. I still have all the money dad left for me. We can go anywhere. Should we take Jukai? Or Bimawaru? Actually, lets leave Bimawaru here, he can be mean sometime. Oh, but we should take Hyogo. I like him. He sometimes puts me on his shoulders and it feels like I'm standing on top of a mountain! And I have stood on top of mountains before. Oh, now that you have your eyes back, we should go traveling so you can see everything for real this time. Have you seen green yet? I should find you something green." 

Hyakkimaru smiled and let Dororo continue to ramble on about anything and everything. He still only understood about half of it, but he got the impression that Dororo didn't really care. Slowly, the anxiety started to melt away. He was free now. Free to travel. Free to stay. Free to plant rice and to stand on top of mountains. Maybe he didn't know what his path was now, but that didn't mean he wasn't on one. 

The demons had taken more than his body, but he had it back now. He had everything back now. And at the moment, that was good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end! Hope everyone enjoyed this. Thanks so much for reading.


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